Salt Lake Telegram | 1938-10-15 | Page 12 | [Untitled]

STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By John Hi Mix X o s- s a 1 7 D t B Tri MO EVER fife T 70 PICK S SSI S 1 WERt A oI W t s s1 c a 01 hW c SI CK CT- CT T x native tint f li PRE N Ut fIL ha back H K PRO t t SECOND S BEY ONO T Mo s dl 85 yr WIND Ill J Ae t 5 36 s BLACKBERRY INTI INTERLUDE LUDE Strategically important to the south during the Civil war was the closing of the Mississippi river to union boats Early In 1862 steps were taken to fortify Vicksburg Miss For more than han a year Vicksburg withstood attacks of the union troops attempts to o skirt the town by canals was unavailing because of floods A general assault on May 22 1863 headed by General Grant brought no benefit and only increased casualties The result of this attack convinced Grant that only a siege would be effective in taking Vicksburg A mile 15 line was thrown around the fort not more than yards from the confederate line Thus the matter stood for several weeks casualties on each side ran rom from 10 to every day Hunger began to tell on the confederates their men were weakening Then the union troops were stricken by a rampant stomach and intestinal ailment Camp doctors prescribed a plentiful diet of fresh fruit for the men and as blackberries were plentiful in the region the soldiers fell to picking and eating them In many places the berries grew thickest between the two lines it seems truces were declared on occasions so that both union and confederate soldiers might go out and pick berries berrie without getting shot These interludes were without antagonism or bloodshed Copyright 1938 for The Telegram